YSR Congress MP approaches Supreme Court for bail in sedition case

“Vindictive action” by my own party’s government, he says

Narasapuram MP Kanumuri Raghurama Krishnam Raju. File

A YSR Congress MP has approached the Supreme Court seeking bail in a sedition case registered against him.

Narasapuram MP Kanumuri Raghurama Krishnam Raju, represented by senior advocate Adinarayana Rao and advocate Tatini Basu, alleged that the registration of the case against him was a “vindictive action” by his own party’s government led by Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy.

Mr. Raju, a vocal critic of the State government, said the High Court refused to consider the grounds in his bail plea and asked him to approach the trial court for relief.

The MP said his outspoken comments on various digital platforms against the State government have irked the ruling dispensation.

He said the FIR has alleged that his comments on these platforms amounted to hate speech and would trigger enmity between various castes and religions.

He urged the apex court to protect his fundamental right to speech and expression. Free speech should not be shackled by imposing penal provisions on the speaker, he argued.